Battery Energy Storage System Fire Safety: Key Risks
Battery Energy Storage System fire safety is a growing global concern, especially following the devastating Moss Landing Power Plant fire in California, which made international headlines. The January 16th blaze at a 300-megawatt facility near Santa Cruz underscored the importance of safe energy storage practices and raised alarm over fire risks associated with large-scale battery installations.
At this point it is worth pointing out that the Moss Landing facility is different to much of the grid scale schemes being discussed in the UK. The Moss Landing facility was an existing power generation building into which the BESS had been installed, effectively turning the building into one large container with the battery systems inside. In contrast, the grid scale installations that are hitting the news due to planning objections in the UK are primarily containerized units, shipping container sized enclosures within which the BESS is located. These units sit in the open in a configuration with ancillary equipment between several containerized units to form a larger BESS installation.
These energy storage systems are becoming key to achieving greener, renewable energy by supporting electrical generation from renewable sources. A government report on UK battery strategy1 estimates that BESS could provide 10-20GW of capacity to the UK grid by 2030, and 30-35GW by 2050. It should be no surprise that our demand for batteries continues to grow with the global lithium-ion battery market surging towards a projected $176.75 billion by 20322.
As these containerised BESS systems have become operational, fire incidents and explosions have occurred which have drawn international attention. In February, a fire that broke out at a 300-megawatt BESS facility, under construction in Tilbury in Essex, is another call for heightened scrutiny of the safety implications of these facilities. This has led advocates for fire safety to call for more stringent regulations requiring these facilities to be built in defined areas, with good separation between units, fire protection and good access for firefighting. These measures would minimize the risk of widespread harm in the event of a catastrophic failure.
Regardless of the installation, by now, most people have heard of lithium-ion batteries and the accounts of fires involving them from scooters and bikes, to vehicles and then these BESS units. Despite these concerns, lithium-ion batteries are widely considered safe when used, operated and stored correctly. The hazards arise when they are damaged or fail, moving into thermal runaway, an uncontrolled chemical reaction that can lead to fires and the gases generated potentially being explosive. It is the latter element that is rarely understood but should be when we talk of such BESS within enclosures.
Significant efforts are being made to improve product testing standards and raise consumer awareness to help address fire safety risk related to lithium-ion battery powered items around the home, and to some extent vehicles. The fire safety guidance for grid-scale BESS or even smaller scale BESS within residential premises is only slowly emerging. The UK Government recently confirming that such grid-scale BESS are regulated by the HSE through a combination of existing regulations being applied to such devices ranging from the Health and Safety at Work Act to DSEAR 3.
With the rapid growth of BESS installations, it feels as though we are playing catch-up on the fire risks. Those involved in this space have witnessed objections to the planning for these grid-scale BESS, with local campaigns. In the UK, for example, plans to build a 1,000-megawatt BESS in rural Yorkshire have been met with significant opposition. Local campaigners warn that the risk of fire is high, citing the 70 fires that have occurred at battery storage facilities worldwide between 2018 and 2023.
An outcome of these campaigns are private member Bills going through the House of Commons and the House of Lords that are looking to address these issues. Regarding BESS, the latter Bill4 is looking to make the Fire and Rescue Services a statutory consultee for planning applications for such systems as a common issue arising from the remote location of the installations are attendance time, access and water for firefighting.
Whilst most of the proposed elements are meaningful, some need to be addressed to ensure all involved understand the potential issues. The nature of battery fires is such that stopping them is very difficult. The current approach to limiting these fires in containerized BESS units generally involves holding the blaze within the structure where it originates. As they are in the open, if there is an explosion potential then we can warn people to be clear and vent any explosion safely. The expectation is that the equipment within the originating structure will be lost to the fire, irrespective of the fire protection used, due to the nature of such incidents. The fire protection measures are designed to limit propagation to the next structure and surrounding containers and to help control the fire, but may not stop it in its tracks. This is an item that is commonly misunderstood.
While this strategy may help protect surrounding buildings and equipment, it has significant implications for such events. Fires in these enclosures can take hours or even days to extinguish, and the extensive use of firefighting resources only increases the challenge. The Moss Landing fire, for example, became the largest battery storage plant fire in the USA, requiring weeks of intervention before it was brought under control. It was reported that flare-ups continued a month after the fire was brought under control. The aftermath of an event on this scale extends beyond the fire itself with environmental fall-out from the fire expected to be significant.
Unified Approach and a Warning
Battery energy storage systems are vital for the transition to clean energy, but they come with serious fire risks. As their use grows, consistent global standards for construction, operation, and fire safety are essential. Context matters—outdoor installations allow for controlled responses, but enclosed or landlocked systems raise the risk of explosions and complicate firefighting. As we expand energy storage, we must prioritize public safety alongside sustainability.
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